Coming Home Drabbles
by aechfic
Summary: Collection of drabbles based specifically on Coming Home, so they'll make a lot more sense after reading that, preferably in the full unedited version... ZoLu; spoilers up to and including current events; rated T to M.
1. Tiger, Tiger

Sprawled on his stomach with his chin resting on his folded arms, Luffy studies the slow rise and fall of his swordsman's chest with intense interest, his side pressed along the warm line of the older pirate's body. They're squashed into the box hammock like overcrowded sardines, with little room to spare, but the captain doesn't mind; he likes curling up next to Zoro while he watches him sleep.

He's especially fond of the way his lover's face - which wears an almost perpetual expression of annoyance when the other man's awake, even if he's not necessarily in a bad mood - relaxes when he's snoring faintly and fundamentally dead to the world. The frown lines that normally crease his brow smooth out, and even the scar sealing his left eye looks less severe.

It's also a game of personal restraint - measuring exactly how long Luffy's able to hold out, fingers itching to explore the swordsman's bare skin and map the muscled plain of his chest and stomach, before he eventually caves in and starts touching.

They've been sharing a bed like this for several weeks now, the older man holding true to his admission of wanting to wake up together every morning, despite the giggles and knowing smiles of Chopper and Usopp and the snide remarks of a certain disgruntled cook. Brook gleefully serenades them with violin music at every opportunity until Zoro threatens to pound him into dust, but Franky, not necessarily older but certainly wiser, treats his crewmates' new routine with casual indifference, although he extends a cautiously-worded offer of remodeling to give them more room.

The captain, delighted with being cuddled to sleep every night instead of getting chased back to his own hammock, tells the cyborg they'll consider his proposal and then promptly forgets about it. In reality, he not only doesn't mind but actually prefers the close quarters, and although the swordsman grumbles and threatens to dump him over the side whenever he can't quite hold still - which, for the energetic rubber man, is approximately ninety-percent of the time - he just grins and silences the gruff protests with kisses, well aware that Zoro is secretly pleased with the current arrangement.

It's a relief to see the older pirate so mellow, Luffy thinks as he finally loses his tenuous battle to keep his hands to himself and slides a palm across his swordsman's chest, snuggling tighter into his side.

Conscious of his presence even before he's fully awake, Zoro utters a low contented rumble in response to his captain's chirped morning greeting and stretches languidly, and Luffy snickers as he's pulled into a firm embrace by one questing arm because he can't help comparing his lover to a lazy feline.

When the peace is abruptly shattered by Sanji slamming the men's quarters door as he comes stomping in to announce breakfast to the lazy shits in his charge, the disturbed swordsman's angry roar makes the younger pirate laugh so heartily that he topples out of their bunk.


	2. Ornamental Monkey

Been wanting to write this ever since I mentioned the prospect of it during the main Coming Home story...

xxx

He can't quite put his finger on it, and the frustration is driving him absolutely crazy. There's something different about that blasted moss-headed swordsman today, but the exact nature of the discrepancy has been eluding him all afternoon, and twice Zoro's demanded to know just what the fuck he's staring at and his snarky retorts - "not much" and "beats me, I'm not a herbologist" - have started impromptu duels that have Franky wringing his over-sized hands because Nami's not around to squelch their strident endeavors to kill each other and therefore prevent battle damage to the surrounding ship.

Well, whatever's wrong with Marimo's got nothing to do with his fighting form, Sanji considers as he deftly blocks the katana slicing through the air towards his face with one upraised foot.

"You realize you'll need to find a replacement before the hole eventually starts growing closed," Robin remarks casually without looking up from her book as their struggle carries them past her lawn chair, causing Zoro to falter and only narrowly avoid the unsportsmanlike heel aimed at his groin. "Our navigator might have some spare studs; I'd strongly recommend against any of her larger hoops, seeing as you're liable to have your ear ripped right off your head if something like the rigging or an opponent's weapon catches in it."

The cook falls back, peering incredulously at the combating expressions of embarrassment and pride on his green-haired nakama's face as the other pirate sheathes his blades. Sure enough, a closer look reveals two, not three, teardrop-shaped beads of gold dangling from his left earlobe.

"Forget it- I've seen the ones she wears. I'm not parading around with some fucking pink thing in my head," he tells the historian, raking fingers through his hair. "If she's got plain gold or silver ones, she's hiding 'em."

"It would certainly be an interesting sight," Robin agrees and favors him with a bemused smile before returning to her novel.

"How the hell'd you lose it?" Sanji asks, now curious despite his annoyance. "I've never seen you without them. You don't even take the damn things out during training or baths."

To his surprise, the swordsman flushes slightly and glances away with a cough. "Well, I didn't exactly lose-"

His explanation's cut short as the women's quarters' door bangs open and a blur of red rushes out and flings itself over the railing, implicitly trusting that it'll be intercepted by the startled first mate before it hits the lawn face first. Thankfully, the older pirate's well acquainted with such antics and catches his captain before he's got the chance to slam into the deck hard enough to bounce himself right off the ship.

Luffy's craning his neck back and forth, simultaneously attempting to show off and catch a glimpse of his newest acquisition from the corner of his eye, and he's babbling excitedly about a mile a minute.

"Oi, Zoro, look-look-look! Nami did it with a needle and it kind of hurt but it looks really cool, doesn't it - she showed me in the mirror and it's all gold and sparkly-looking - and now Zoro doesn't need to worry about Chopper kicking his ass since he doesn't need to chew a hole in my ear and-"


End file.
